ESL Pro League S8: victory vs fnatic

A close Overpass and confident Inferno

NAVI.GG.BET fought with  fnatic at ESL Pro League S8 in a dual bo1. Both games were quite intense, but at the end of the day,  NAVI claimed both Overpass and Inferno.

Overpass - Natus Vincere [1:0] fnatic

The first game was on the Overpass. The pistol round and the one after went the way of  fnatic, but since we planted in the 2nd, we had enough money for a nice buy in the third one, and the first point for  NAVI was secured. We went on a 3-round streak, breaking ahead for just a moment.  fnatic was ready to strike back, though, as they tied the game and even moved ahead with a swift retake. That set them up for a sequence of rounds, as  NAVI were unable to defend the plant for 3 rounds straight - defuses were coming in.

We finally managed to pick up a round, but  fnatic hit right back, as they were the first ones to get to the match point after a good retake of the site. Still,  NAVI were trying to go for the minimal difference coming into the second half, so we were trying to get favorable trades. Round 14 had 2 of our players plant and defend the bomb against the last CT, and we secured good economy for the last round of the half. The half ended with the minimal advantage for  fnatic - 7:8.

The pistol round in the second half went the way of  NAVI, and the next round saw  Edward pull off a 1v1 clutch and a defuse. Another couple of rounds pushed us past 10-round mark. After 5 rounds straight, we dropped one round, as  fnatic picked up their own streak. They kept attacking the B bombsite, as we were struggling to retake it successfully. The streak of  fnatic didn't get far, though, as teams started trading rounds, with  NAVI keeping the advantage.

Finally,  fnatic managed to tie the game at 13:13, and  NAVI had to eco, with the buy coming right after. Unfortunately, even the buy didn't salvage the situation, as  fnatic managed to make it to the match point, with  flamie trying to save the AWP in a 1v3.  NAVI still had what it takes to move ahead, though, as  Zeus kept his cool in a 1v2, disposing of the opponents and defusing the bomb right on time, as we go into the overtime.

The first round of the OT saw flamie claim 3k, but the next 2 went the way of  fnatic, as they were 2 rounds away from winning the map. Teams switched sides, and  NAVI needed to get a perfect half to finish the game right then. That chance quickly vanished, as  fnatic claimed their 18th point. Despite that,  NAVI fought back, and forced the game into the second overtime.  fnatic were the first ones to make it to the 20 points, but  NAVI were close behind. equalizing the score right away, with a clutch defuse. Finally, we made it to the match point, and took it patiently, exhausting the utility of the opponent. Overpass goes our way 22:20.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
electronic	30-26	+4	88.6	1.24
Edward	29-33	-4	87.5	1.10
flamie	34-30	+4	76.6	1.10
s1mple	29-29	0	62.8	0.95
Zeus	24-30	-6	64.8	0.89

Inferno - Natus Vincere [1:0] fnatic

The second game kicked off with 3 rounds going the way of  fnatic straight away, as the pistols were a poor match for the fire power of the opponent. However, as we managed to get a hold of some more serious guns,  NAVI came online on Inferno, catching up to the opponent very soon at 3:3, and even breaking ahead at 4:3.  fnatic took 1 back, but we reset them right after, as we hit 7:4.

 fnatic weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of letting us run away with a lead, so  NAVI still had to work very hard to get to 8 points. The opponent claimed 3 straight, driving us into a 7:7 situation. Still, we had a decent economy for the final round of the half, but  fnatic still overpowered us, even if with the minimal advantage, as we move into the second half with 7:8.

 fnatic had a good start in the second half, taking 2 rounds quite fast. The third round, though, saw  NAVI get decent weapons and decimate the opponent. After 2 more rounds, we managed to get 10 points, catching up to  fnatic. Teams traded rounds, and that destroyed the economy of  fnatic, as we solidified our map presence.

 NAVI claimed 3 more rounds, destroying  fnatic without even having to defend the bomb. Ultimately, this resulted in us getting to the match point way before the opponent, with 1 opponent against 3 our players. The match point went very smooth for us, as  NAVI established a solid map control, only suffering 1 casualty through the entire round. The game goes our way at 16:11.

Natus Vincere

Player	Kill/Death	+/-	ADR	Rating
s1mple	25-13	+12	101.4	1.56
electronic	25-13	+12	90.5	1.43
flamie	23-13	+10	76.4	1.25
Edward	20-18	+2	81.4	1.16
Zeus	14-22	-8	69.5	0.83